The new $7.1 million addition to the Student Union has been completed, and the front doors are open to all. At 611,652 square feet, the Oklahoma State University student union is now the largest in the world. 

"The Union will be unique because it is now truly a blend of campus life, student activity facilities, auxiliary enterprises and academic support services," said Thomas Keys, assistant vice president of student affairs and director of the OSU Student Union.

The new addition to the Student Union will house all services for students. 

"The center will consolidate a myriad of heavily used services which students rely upon during their school career," Keys said. "In the 30 years of my career, this is the most positive addition I have seen to campus facilities because it was added just for students."

Students now have the opportunity to grab a bite to eat, apply for scholarships, purchase a new CD, pay their bursar bill and enroll in classes all in the same building. 

One-stop shopping is now available for all 20,000 plus OSU students. Long gone are the days of trekking across campus from building to building to run errands or access student services. 

Lori Rothermel, animal science senior, is excited about the move of the services. 

"It's nice to see that all the services have consolidated into one facility, because it makes it much easier and quicker to get business finished," she said.

The Student Union will now house all the offices students may need while at OSU. The offices included range from admissions to financial aid to university academic services. 

The need for the facility was identified about 10 years ago. 

"The university looked at various ways to meet students' needs," Keys said. "The best location and solution to address the issue was an addition to the Union." 

Harry Birdwell, vice president for business and external relations, said funding for the renovation came from the general university budget. Fifty percent of the cost came from Section 13 New College Funds, 45 percent from institutional carry forward balances and about 5 percent from student tuition. 

"It is an effort on the part of Oklahoma State University to create a convenient front door that says 'this university values students,'" Birdwell said. "The new facility will provide further focus to a student centered university experience."

Construction began in January 1998, and it has gone smoothly. There were some problems along the way, such as a new utility tunnel that had to be constructed to accommodate the addition. 

"Any project of this size and scope presents some challenges, but it has all been handled well," Keys said.

Included in the renovations is a three level atrium that can be used as a meeting place and is equipped with computer plug ins for students to use. 

"The atrium will provide a common area that this university doesn't have," Keys said. "The food court will flow directly into that area. Hopefully, it will be a place for activities and will accommodate a large number of students during the enrollment process."

One unique feature to the Union is a welcome center. The welcome center is located at the front door of the Union near the Paul Miller Journalism Building. It will include a video wall with touch screens for information and directions. 

Adjoining the welcome center is the office of high school and college relations. With these services combined, prospective students can have easy access to any information they may need. 

Larry Kruse, director of high school and college relations said his entire office is in one location for the first time. Previously, the office used for meetings was in 210 Student Union, while storage locations for applications and brochures included rest rooms, the geography building and a stairwell. 

"We went from two separate offices totaling 2,100 square feet to a single office totaling 4,600 square feet," Kruse said. "It allows us to work more efficiently in having the whole office together in terms of representation and production."

By working together, the university has found joining the student services to be a win win situation for all.

"The major addition to the Union is also a major addition for services to students without costing students directly," Keys said. "This has been a joint effort all the way through, speaking positively of the current administration at Oklahoma State University."